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Saturday, August 17, 2013

The cold conditions that had made us beat a
hasty retreat the previous night in Leh had turned into a full fledged
thunderstorm the next day. We started
for our visit to Lamayuru Monastery early in the morning on 15th
June, 2013. It was an overcast and dull
day and we had not forgotten to carry our heavy woolens, having had a bad
experience the previous night and this lesson that we learned, helped us during
our stay in Ladakh during the entire duration of the tour. We went past the Leh airport and headed
forward on the Leh-Srinagar highway. Situated
25 Kilometers from Lehwas our first stop, was a Gurudwara named Pathar Sahib. The
Gurdwara stands at the place where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion and
the first guru, is believed to have vanquished a demon. Situated in predominantly Buddhist Ladakh,
Gurudwara Pathar Sahib is also worshipped and venerated by Buddhists. Tibetan
Buddhists venerate Guru Nanak as Guru Gompka Maharaj and as Nanak Lama. According to legend, during his visit to Ladakh, Guru Nanak was attacked by a demon. The demon threw a large boulder on
the guru as he sat at the base of a hill meditating. However, the rock became
soft like molten wax and failed to cause any harm to the Sikh guru. The demon was in for a surprise when he found
the Sikh guru unscathed. Bristling with fury, the demon tried to crush Guru
Nanak by kicking the boulder with all his might. To his surprise, the demon’s
foot caused a deep impression in the boulder which had turned soft. Realizing
that the man in front of him was no mortal soul, the demon underwent a
transformation and stopped harassing the people. The boulder and the legend associated with it
were forgotten with the passage of time. The boulder was re-discovered again
during the construction of Leh-Nimu road in 1970s. Construction work was
brought to a halt by a huge boulder and despite all efforts it could not be
removed.

Entry Gate to Pathar Sahib Gurdwara on Nanak Hill

Panoramic view of Pathar Sahib Gurdwara

Further 5 kms. ahead i.e. at a distance of about 30 Kms. from Leh, was
the next halt right on the highway, where an unexplained phenomenon occurs,
known as the ‘Magnetic hill’, a short stretch of road that defies Earth’s
gravitational force and it appears that the vehicles and even water bottles
move upwards, instead of downwards as per norms.The layman’s tale is that the hill is alleged
to possess magneticproperties
and is strong enough to pull cars uphill and force passing aircraft to increase
their altitude in order to escape magnetic interference. In reality, the effect
is because of an optical illusion and there is no magnetic disturbance in the
area at all. As we proceed further, we reach the
‘Sangam’, the confluence of the mighty Sindhu or Indus River with its tributary, the
Zanskar River.It is also a must visit
destination for the tourists and some even drive down to the valley below, at
the actual site of the confluence, where a small temple like structure
stands.The road thereafter, passes
through Nimmu village, wherein we had an interesting altercation where we
found a mineral water supplier was de-boarding the crates, on inquiry he agreed
to sell entire crates and we purchased two crates from him.This infuriated the local shop keeper who
started fighting with the supplier, when I had to interject of settle the
issue, where after we reached the Basgo plains.

The Magnetic Hill in Ladakh

The road to Magnetic Hill

The panoramic view of the 'Sangam' - Confluence of Sindhu/Indus with Zanskar River

Close up of the 'Sangam' in Ladakh

The Basgo plains - distant view of Nimmu village

Basgo is an ancient village situated at a distance of 42 Kms. from
Leh.The present kingdom of Ladakh owes
its existence to this village, as the Lower Ladakh region was ruled by King
Tapabum from Basgo and Upper Ladakh by Kind Takbumde from Leh and Shey.The successor of Lower Ladakh, King Bhagan
reunited the entire Ladakh region by overthrowing the king of Upper Ladakh and
assumed the surname of Namgyal, meaning ‘victorious’ in Tibetan and this
lineage exists till date.During its
glorious days during the reign on King Tashi Namgyal (1555-1575), not only did
he repel all the Central Asian raiders, he built a royal fort on top of Namgyal
Peak as well.His successor King Tsewang
Namgyal temporarily extended the kingdom as far as Nepal.Thus, Basgo hold a very important position in
the history of Ladakh.At present there
is a castle known as Basgo Rabtan Lhartsekhar is situated atop a clay
hill.The monastery complex within,
built by father-son duo of Dharmaraja Jamyang Namgyal and Singay Namgyal
respectively, houses the ‘Golden Maitreya’ statute of Lord Buddha, made up of
copper gilt about two storey high.There
is also an image of Lord Buddha made of clay that is three storey high, which is
visible from the top of the castle.The
ruins of a temple & stupa built by the famous monk & translator Rinchen
Zangpo can also be seen.Due to intense
rain and the clay composition of the region, I did not visit Basgo and have
culled images from the internet for the viewers.

Panoramic view of Basgo Monastery

The Basgo Buddha image - taken from net (name of photographer at bottom left hand corner)

Having gone past Basgo, we headed towards the Likir
Monastery or Likir Gompa (Klud-kyil), which is a Buddhist monastery in Ladakh, located
approximately 52 kilometers west of Leh on the
Leh-Kargil-Srinagar Highway, a little off the main road. It is placed on a hilltop
in the valley near the Indus River and the village of Saspol about 10 Kms.
north of the Srinigar to Leh highway. It belongs to the Gelugpa sect or Yellow
Hats of Tibetan Buddhism and was established in 1065 by Lama Duwang Chosje,
under the command of the fifth king of Ladakh, Lhachen Gyalpo
(Lha-chen-rgyal-po). Although Likir now appears
rather out of the way, it used to be on a major trade route which traveled via Tingmosgang, Hemis and Likir to Leh
during the ancient times. The monastery
is now known for housing a 23 m high gilded gold statue of Maitreya Buddha.

Panoramic view of the Likir Monastery

Inside the Likir Monastery

The big statute of Maitreya Buddha in Likir Monastery

The name Likir means "The Naga
- Encircled", representing the bodies of the two great serpent spirits,
the Naga-rajas, Nanda and Taksako. It presumably, originally belonged to the
early Karmapa order of Tibetan Buddhism. The
monastery has two assembly halls, known as Dukhangs and the older one is
located on the right of the central courtyard with six rows of seats for the
lamas and a throne for the Head Lama of Likir. The Dukhangs contain statues of Bodhisattava, Amitabha,
three large statues of Sakyamuni, Maitreya and Tsong Khapa, founder of the
yellow-hat sect. The verandah has
thangka paintings of the Guardians of the Four Directions and wheel of life
mandala held by Yama and the courtyard has a large Jupiter tree, a rare
species. Placed on the roof is a 23 metre (75 ft) high gilded gold statue
of Maitreya (the future) Buddha. It was completed in 1999. Besides, the annual event of Dosmochey is
organized here on the 27th day to 29th day of the 12th month of the
Tibetan calendar. Having visited the
monastery, whose main prayer or assembly hall was closed either because of the
fact that we had reached early or because of rains, I am not aware, we retraced
our steps back to the Leh-Srinagar highway heading for Alchi, about which I
will describe in my next blog.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Despite being delayed by a day, we were able to attend the
closing ceremonies of the famed Sindhu Festival or Singhe Khababs Festival, as
it is now known (since 2006). The
literal meaning of which translates as ‘Singhe’ meaning ‘Lion’, ‘Khab’ means
‘Snow’ and ‘Ab’ means ‘Water’ and the mighty Sindhu River is known by this name
in Ladakh, which translates roughly to ‘The Lion of Snow Water fed Rivers’ or
the other translation is ‘out of Lions mouth’.
The mighty Sindhu (Indus) river symbolizes the power and permanence of
the ancient Indian civilization which evolved over a period of thousands of
years. This great Trans-Himalayan river
has an astonishing length of 2900 km. It rises in south-western Tibet near
Mansarovar lake at an altitude of 16000 ft., enters India near Demchok in
Ladakh (Jammu & Kashmir) and is soon joined on its left by its first
tributary, Zanskar. Further down, other
streams like Shyok, Shigar, Hunza and Gilgit join the Sindhu bringing water
from glaciers east of Nanga Parbat. Sindhu finally flows west, crosses the
Kashmir border near Batalik and enters Pakistan. The river has total drainage area of about
4,50,000 square miles, of which 1,75,000 square miles, lie in the Himalayan
mountains and foothills.

On the banks of Sindhu River at Choglamsar

The headquarters of the Drukpa Council

The ancient epic ‘Ramayana’ gives the title ‘Mahanadi’ to
Sindhu, to denote ‘the mighty river’. In the ‘Mahabharata’, the Sindhu is
reverentially mentioned along with the other two holy rivers, the Ganga and
Saraswati. References to the Sindhu are also seen in many ancient literary works
such as Kalidasa’s ‘Raghuvamsa’. The Rig Veda, has various descriptions of this
mighty river. The sound of the rapidly cascading Sindhu is said to reverberate
to the skies and the river is compared to a thundering bull. The river’s name
comes from Sanskrit word ‘Sindhu’. It is mentioned in the Rig Veda, the
earliest (c. 1500 BC) chronicles and hymns of the Aryan people of ancient
India, and is the source of the country’s name. Words like Hindu, Hindustan and
India have been derived from Sindhus and ‘Indus’, the name given to Sindhu by
foreigners.

Evening view of Leh, as the birds head home for roosting for the night

Sindhu Darshan Festival is a festival of India held every year on full moon day (on Guru Purnima) in
month of June in Leh, Ladakh. It
stretches for three days. The spirit and the message of the Sindu Darshan Festival
was construed to project the Indus as a symbol of India’s unity and communal
harmony and is also a symbolic salute to its brave soldiers. Mr. Lal Krishna
Advani, re-discovered the Sindhu/Indus River flowing though Ladakh, when he visited Leh in 1995.
Since then it has been a pilgrimage for Hindu Sindhis, who in pre-partition
days, used to worship her (in Sindh District), now in Pakistan .
For, the purpose that, people of India, know the importance of Sindhu River, Shri L.K. Advani (of BJP), in 1996, himself a Sindhi, visited Choglamsar (8 km
from Leh ) and started Sindhu Darshan Abhiyan, with handful of Sindhis. The first time this event was held in form of
Sindhu Darshan Festival was in October, 1997. When held for the first time, this Festival
was organized in October 1997, over seventy people from all over India had
traveled to Leh for a Darshan and Puja of the River Sindhu (Indus) which
originates from the Mansarovar in Tibet.

Stamp depicting Sindhu Darshan Festival (taken from the internet)

The Postal Department of Government of India issued a
Postage Stamp depicting Sindhu Darshan Festival on 28 July 1999. The project ‘Sindhu Darshan’, was started to
focus attention on the heritage of the ancient Indian Civilization and Culture
that ‘Sindhu’ symbolizes. It aims to celebrate the Sindhu as a symbol of this
country’s ethnic diversity and to promote communal harmony. Further, attention
is sought to be focused on cultural and topographical beauty of the landscape
of Ladakh. These aspects are sought to be blended in the design of the First Day Cover, which also carries inscription of the hymn or 'mantra', chanted by
Buddhists in the area, a prayer in praise of God. The stamp depicts a landscape
in the upper reaches of the Sindhu with an inset of the famous ‘Vrishabha’
(bull) the famed seal of the 'Indus Valley Civilization and
a hymn, from the ' Rig Veda', describing the Sindhu.
The movement also aims at promoting tourism in this far flung region
thereby contributing towards the economic well-being of its people.

Full blood action in the Polo match

The Ladakh Festival held in September is hosted at the same grounds

The head of the Drupka Council watching the Polo match

Later on in year 2000, on 7 June, Sindhu Darshan Festival
was held with much pomp and show and was inaugurated by Sh. Atal Behari Vajpayee the thenHonorable Prime Minister of India at Shey(15 km away from Leh). The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the
Sindhu Cultural Center and also inaugurated the new office complex of Ladakh
Autonomous Hill Development Council. The complex has an open air theater, an
exhibition gallery, a small library and a music room. Auditorium in the center
of the complex can accommodate 500 people at a time. People attending the
festival can also shop for exquisite Ladakh handicrafts available at the stalls
within the premises. The Prime Minister,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was overwhelmed after touching the waters of Sindhu River and he said and
I quote –

“Some people queried about existence of Sindhu in India as
described in our National Anthem but little did they know that it flows from our soil in
Ladakh.”

He further added - “Sindhu symbolised 5,000 years
ethos of Indian civilization and its re-discovery will strengthen emotional
integration of country.”

and quoted hymn from the Rig Veda –
“Sindhu it might surpasses all the streams that flow - His roar is lifted up
to heaven above the earth, he puts forth endless vigour with a flash of light,
even as cow with milk rush to their calves, so other rivers roar in to Sindhu.
As warrior king leads other warriors, so does Sindhu lead other rivers. Rich in
good steed is Sindhu, rich in gold, nobly fashioned rich in ample wealth.”

The occasion was also marked by immersion of waters from the Bramhaputra Riverbrought by the then Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Sh.Mukut Mithi. Brahmputra & Sindhu Rivers flow from same
source i.e. Lake Mansarovar in Tibet. In 2006, this
popular spring festival of Ladakh was renamed ‘Ladakh Singhey Khabab Festival’
by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Tourism Ministry to bring
in more Ladakhi flavor and local involvement.

Women selling their wares in Leh market

Panoramic view of Leh market

The Leh Khar Palace - panoramic view

The famed Shanti Stupa in Leh

On the first day of the three day Sindhu Darshan Festival
a reception ceremony is held for the participants, organized on the banks of
Sindhu at Shey. This reception
ceremony is conducted by a joint association of committees of various religious
groups like the Buddhist, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs etc. under the various banners namely, Ladakh Buddhist Association, Shia Majlis, Sunni
Anjuman, Christian Moravian Church, Hindu Trust and Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak
Committee, to promote national integrity. As a part of the ritual, fifty senior monks/Lamas conduct a prayer
on the banks of the river. A series of cultural programs is also presented by
the artists from various states of the country. A sightseeing tour is organized
for the participants and the day comes to an end with a bonfire at night. After
the cultural programs and sightseeing trip, a Hindu Puja is organized on
the second day of the Sindhu Darshan Festival. On the third day, the finals of
the Polo match are organized at the ‘Polo grounds’ in Leh and after an evening
of Cultural extravaganza, the participants get ready for the departure. Leh is jam packed with thousand of tourist, especially
foreigners, who flock to the hill town to be a part of these grand
celebrations.

The banner displaying the Shinghe Khababs Festival

The rendering of the musical instruments during the opening of the evening cultural program

The famed headgear worn by women of Ladakh - Perak

As I was unable to attend the opening ceremony, due to
cancellation of the flight, I have described the history and details of the
same as taken from the pamphlet of the festival collected by me. After returning back to the Hotel, having
visited Thiksey Monastery, Shey Palace etc., as described in the earlier blog,
we headed for the Polo ground at around 4.30 P.M. on 14th June, 2013
to witness the final game being played on local ponies. It turned out to be quite an intense affair
with the locals thoroughly engrossed in the game. Thereafter, as the cultural functions were
scheduled to be held in the open air auditorium near the Shanti Stupa, we had
some time in our hands to explore the Leh market and quickly explore the Leh
Khar Palace. After going around the
market, we headed for the festival at around 7.00 P.M., as the cultural program
was scheduled to start at around 7.30 P.M.
There was a huge congregation of people, with a substantial sprinkling
of foreigners and as with all other Indian functions, it started only a little
after 8.00 P.M. As Leh was quite hot
during the day, we did not expect the temperatures to fall so drastically and
as we had failed to carry our pullovers, we were getting the jitters due to the
cold winds that had started blowing.
Thus, we decided to head back after watching the opening of the function
and some of the dances, the ones’ witnessed by me during the festivities were
the –

Performing the Drugpa Rches dance

Another view of the male & female dancer performing the Drugpa Rches dance

i)Drugpa Rches - Drugpa Rches is a dance performed by the vegetarian
dwellers of Dras and Gorkhan areas of Ladakh who are of Aryan origin and is
named for the fact they were originally Drugpas or nomads. In this dance men
and women adorned with silver ornaments & Peraks (the traditional
headgears) and flowers dance to the sound of Damman - a pair of kettledrums
named “Fo” and “Mo” (being the two genders) played with
little sticks called “Damshing” and with, “Fo” having a hole in the base that permits the addition of
water to lower the sound – and Surna: a wind instrument that produces a droned
chord;

Performing the Jabro dance by the tribal of Changthang region

ii)Jabro Dance -
Jabro is popular folk dance of the Changpa tribe of Changthang region of Ladakh.